Police: Three shootings in Echo Park, Glassell Park are "gang-related and connected"
Los Angeles police said today that three shootings within half an hour in Echo Park and Glassell Park are "gang-related and connected." Two men died, and a third is in the hospital in stable condition after the shootings began Sunday at 5:02 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department Officer Norma Eisenman said.
Eisenman said a man in a black sport utility vehicle was described by witnesses at all three shootings. The first occurred in the 1600 block of Baxter Street in Echo Park, followed a minute later by a second shooting around the corner in the 2000 block of Echo Park Avenue, police said. The first victim, identified as Eric Zamarripa, 38, of Los Angeles, was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The victim in the second shooting was taken to hospital in stable condition.
The third shooting was in the 4300 block of Toland Way in Glassell Park about 28 minutes later. That victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
-- Ari B. Bloomekatz
Echo Park? Glassell Park? These neighborhoods are close by but not exactly next door to one another. Baxter and Toland Way are separated by freeways and the river, to say the least. Are the gangsters engaging in running battles across the city now?
Let's call it what it is: Domestic Terrorism. Why do the authorities here continue to turn a blind eye to the obvious gangster presence on so many of our streets? Lock them all up and deport the ones who don't belong here.
Posted by: Tired of It | March 02, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Going by the L.A. Times' own neighborhood map project, the shooting at 4300 Toland Way happened in Higghland, not Glassell Park. And if I recall correctly, this is the second shooting on this block in recent months.
Posted by: Marcos El Malo | March 02, 2009 at 12:32 PM
The problem is with the AM/PM location and the nearby apartments. Always trouble there. There should be a permanently placed cop car there at all tilmes. Sad but true.
Posted by: acc | March 02, 2009 at 12:54 PM
LA is safer today, than it has been since the 1950s.
Posted by: Tony V | March 02, 2009 at 02:47 PM
Eric was my friend. He was a grest dad and his family is awesome! I am going to miss his smile and him waving at me on the way to work! I am a professional who has lived in Echo Park for 45 years. People shouldn't judge; especiallly when they are not perfect; and I am sure they are not I will always rememeber your smile Eric. God bless you and your family.
Posted by: christine | March 02, 2009 at 04:02 PM
ALL YOU CRACKERS SHOULD BE LIVING IN ORANGE COUNTY HELLO.....YOU MOVE INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAS A HISTORY OF GANG VIOLENCE AND YOUR SUPPOSED TO BE SO SMART SO DEAL WITH IT!!!! GO MOVE TO O.C OR BEVERLY HILLS IF YOU DONT LIKE IT!!!! YOU WHITE PEOPLE ARE COMING INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TRYING TO TURN IT INTO A HIGH CLASS TRAILER PARK KNOWING THAT THIS BELONGS TO US LATINOS....MY GRANDPARENTS OWN MUCH REALESTATE IN ECHO PARK SINCE THE 1950'S AND KNOW WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH WIERDO'S EVERYTIME WE LOOK OUT OUR WINDOWS......WE HAVE TO LOOK AT PINK SPANDIX AND PURPLE SHOES AND CRACKED OUT HAIR DO'S AND FAKE ASS SMILES....THIS AINT KENTUCKY OR ALAHBAMA....PUT UP AND SHUT UP!!!! BY THE WAY WHAT THE HELL IS CHANGO'S???? YOU TALK ABOUT PEOPLE YOU DONT KNOW BUT HOW DO YOU LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE JUDGE YOU??? SALTINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
R.I.P ERIC WE ARE GOING TO MISS YOU GREATLY!!!!!!
Posted by: ERICA | March 02, 2009 at 04:29 PM
i feel bad for those involved and affected by this.
I lived in Echo Park for 7 years and i heard gunshots all the time - in the middle of the night. In fact, the second day i lived there, i had to duck behind a parked car at 4pm on a sunday....because i saw some dudes shooting at a house. this was back in 2001...just as all the migrating hipsters were barelyt trickling into Echo Park for the cheap rent.
Now that EP is flooded with gentrifiers, they need to realize that EP has always been a gang infested neighborhood. Thats a fact of life.
Posted by: Ex-Echo Parker | March 02, 2009 at 05:59 PM
I especially don't like the fact that the Toland Way shooting happened near an elementary school and in broad daylight.
Posted by: Mama | March 02, 2009 at 09:10 PM
the 4300 Toland Way is notHighland Park, It is considered LA in the nighborhood of Glassell Park, Been living across the street for 9 years now and this is maybe the 3rd or 4th max time that this happens. Really Sad.
Posted by: close to incident | March 03, 2009 at 12:26 AM
ERIC, REST IN PEACE... YOU WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS A WONDERFUL FATHER, PERSON AND FRIEND. UNFORTUNATELY YOUR LIFE WAS CUT WAY TOO SHORT. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY AND THOSE AFFECTED BY THE LOSS OF NOT HAVING THE PRIVILEGE OF YOU IN THEIR LIVES..... THIS IS DEFINITELY A TRAGEDY AND NO WORDS CAN EXPRESS THIS LOSS.
YOUR FRIEND.
G.
Posted by: GINA | March 03, 2009 at 10:10 AM
The Echo Park shootings happened at the corner where a Montessori school stands across the street from an elementary school. I live right here. I love my neighborhood. I really, really love it. And for that reason, I don't have a lot of patience for gang BS these days. Taggings, shootings, all this stuff shows disrespect for the neighborhood, not pride. Let's move our home forward, not keep it stuck in a brutal past. Let's give the kids a sense of something new and good.
Posted by: Mary | March 03, 2009 at 01:57 PM
4300 Toland Way is so close to where Glassell Park touches Eagle Rock and Highland Park. Kids on that block are allowed to choose whether they want to go to Eagle Rock High or Franklin High. People who live there do most of their grocery shopping in Highland Park. Whether or not it's Glassell Park or Highland Park, it's an "Avenues" territory.
Posted by: Mama | March 03, 2009 at 05:15 PM
GOD BLESS YOU ERIC, MAY GOD KEEP YOU BY HIS SIDE.
MAY GOD COMFORT YOUR FAMILY AND HOMIES.
WE WERE ONCE NEIGHBORS WHEN I WAS A KID..
YOU WERE AN AWESOME DUDE, RESCPETFUL AND RESPECTED.
YOU WILL BE MISSED.
AND FOR ALL THESE KNUCKLE-HEADS RUNNING THEIR MOUTHS... THEY DONT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. THEY KNOW NOTHING OF WHOM YOU WERE. WHAT YOU STOOD FOR.. AND NEVER WILL..
THEY NEED TO RELAX AND STOP TALKING.
NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY, YOU WERE LOVED AND YOU WERE HUMAN, NO ONE DESERVES THIS.. ESPECIALLY YOU. YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD.. AND HE KNOWS WHY YOU WERE TAKEN AWAY.
Posted by: jesse a.k.a aktive | March 03, 2009 at 10:52 PM
ERIC YOU WILL BE MISSED GREATLY, FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP YOU GAVE ME AND ALWAYS ALWAYS BEING THERE FOR ME NO MATTER WHAT, YOU ALWAYS HAD MY BACK. I LOVE YOU RIP
TO LETY MY BEST FRIEND SINCE WE WERE KIDS, I AM TRULY SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS, YOU ARE IN MY HEART LOVE U
DAISY
FOR ALL THOSE WHO SAY THESE ARE GANG MEMBERS, WRONG WE ARE A GROUP OF CLOSE FRIENDS WHO HAVE KNOWN EACHOTHER FOR OVER 35 YEARS AND SOME OF OUR FAMILIES GO BACK ALONG WAY TO THE 1950'S. KEEP YOUR MOUTHS SHUT YOU NEW NEIGHBORS BECAUSE YOU DONT KNOW ECHO PARK AND THE COMMUNITY IT IS, REMEMBER SOMEONE ELSE CAME INTO OUR COMMUNITY TO START TROUBLE. WE ARE UNITED IN ECHO PARK
Posted by: D. Villasenor | March 04, 2009 at 01:55 PM
Erick,
Your light will never fade. A real friend to all.
I will miss my drives up
Baxter to see you, but I will never forget you.
He was a dad to all of us, a kind person who had a smile for life.
May your kids grow to be strong and always remembering the love you gave to all.
‘WE ARE UNITED IN ECHO PARK’
‘THEY KNOW NOTHING OF WHOM YOU WERE.’
If only more people where as kind a person as you. this world would be a different place .
Peace and love to you
Posted by: jake | March 04, 2009 at 08:44 PM
My autistic adult son always climbs up the steps at the end of Baxter to Park Drive to see the sunset. Eric and his friends always gave him a friendly greeting when they bumped into him along the way. We've lived in Echo Park since the '60s and always got along as a community. Eric was respected as a good neighbor and community member. We will miss him. Some kids have no real choice in joining gangs, so get over it! Time for respect!
Posted by: momalmighty | March 05, 2009 at 02:45 PM
I was born & raised in Echo Park and my family has been in the area since the early 1900's. All this talk about "gang member this" and "hipster invasion that" -- get over it. The diversity is part of what makes Echo Park so great. At some point the old-school locals and gentrification crowd are gonna have to come together and learn from each other.
My heart goes out to E's family... as well as Memo (who I went to Elysian Heights with and was ALSO shot). Perhaps these tragedies will be a catalyst for outreach among ALL the "clicks" in EP.
Posted by: Miguel | March 05, 2009 at 05:16 PM
Such a waste of life. I'm sorry for the families who are mourning at this moment. Lately, I've noticed that there is a lot more gang graffiti up and crossed out all over Echo Park. Droopy, I seem to recall as one of the names that is sprayed up on every corner, like a dog lifting his leg to release his scent on every fire hydrant.
I understand that there is a deep rooted culture here, but the sheer stupidity of the violence must come to an end. Latinos are beautiful people, but the greedy, rude, disrespectful, violent youth need to change or they will wind up dead or in jail. A human life is a valuable thing. Stop this crap and change your attitude, we must all get along.
Posted by: Phoebe Vallarta | March 23, 2009 at 08:12 PM
you get what you deserve
how many good people have been shot?
no excuses now!
Posted by: leftLA | March 30, 2009 at 09:36 PM